The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-05-18

Philadelphia Nevs. .g..|
Great indignation 10 expressed On all
sides In Camden over the recent illegal
and ill.conditioned marriages consumma.
ted by clergymen OF that city. For more
than a year the people Of Camden have
been dlspleased with the unenviable no.
toriety the town has earned, and mutter.
ings against certain ministers were fre.
quantly heard. During the last week
these mutterings have broken out into
loud and strong denunciaton. The last
straws wero tho marriages Of the fab
throated, Spiritualistic lortune.teller fraud
"Jatnes" aud Afias Mailison, by Rev, John
7. Dobbins, OF the Tabernacle Methodist
| Church, and the nnion Of Mis- Lizzie
swindells, who ia under 10 years Of aye,
to John W. Rogers, by Rev. Joseph J.
Sleeper, an Episcopal clergyman, who Is
without a regular church. g.'l.I.5j
Could Yote OF the Yesidents OF tbs 10 rn
on the opposite side OF the river be taken
Ut this time 1t would result in an over.
whelming majority in favor Of strict mar.
tiage license law. Very many Of the lead.
ing members OF the churctes are the loud.
es. in expressing indignation over the
very loose manner in which the marriages.
are performed and talk OF taking action
in ecclesiastical courts is heard on all
sides. =
Speaking OF Rev. J. Y. Dohbins' many
| marriages a member oil the official bosrd
OF the tabernacle NJ. L. Church, said:
ut Ia high time something WAS done.
| Ihia Ia UtavFp paf and ,.,n
poweress. The church is being dragged
into the mire by these ill.aasorted and ii.
legal marriages, and the cause OF religion
is made to suiIer thereby. a preacher
whe 30 far lorgets his calling as to proati.
.ute bis high Office and neglec. his duties
for money deserves such an oyerbauliny
rs would place him on the right trace
again. ! know OF one instance in which
a member Of our church asked that an ex.
change Of pulpits be made for one Sunday
with clergyman Of another denomina.
ton. He WIS met with: we would like to
DO 80, but cur people would not have i, on
account OF the talk about these numerous
marriages.
THAT was very rough thing to cay,
and yet the man to whom it was spoken
could not make reply. There VIA moth.
ing 10 De SAID IN answer to 1t. Something
must be done, and the quicker it is done
the better. Just think, l42 marriages ia
one month by ons minister! WHY. he
never goes sway si4hout leaving some one
IN charsce. al pmLa1d generally hss
d person. ttcru 10 cau perform the mar.
rlage ceremony. Last summer while on
his vacation Mr.. Dobbins bad his brother
in'law, Rev. Mr.. Divverty, in bis house.
and the records chow over one hundred
marriages in August, nnd August wasn't a
good marrying month either."
Mr. Dobbins says there was nothing In
tho appearance OF either "professorn
james or Mics Madison to indicate 70 him
that they should not bs married and he
doubted that they had applied to other
| ministers before coming to him. One
| clergyman at least says they did come 70
| him and that he had positively refused IN
unite them. Mr.. Dobbins is eudeavorino
to find out positively how many psrsous
the couple applied 10 before they came to
him.
There has been much rivalry between
hall dozen ministers in Camden. ana
various means were resorted to 10 CAPTURE
the Want-!o- be'matried-people who
crossed the ferries. 1t is known that men
on the boats and at the slips, rs we'll "a
certain hsckdriyers, were induced to
steer the strange couples in certain direc.
tons. Last year Rev. l. W. Bsyey, Of the
Tabernacle Baptist church, Filth aud
Mount Vernon streets, had rooms at the
West Jersey Hotel, near the Market street
ferry, and tied the kuots tor and raked in
the shekels Of such as came to him there
for such purpose. 1t ia said by one OF his
church members that couples arc sent 10
the hotel now, and that Mr.. Bsgley ia
brought to the hotel by telephone to per.
form the ceremony. That explains coca.
sional marriage notices in the Philadelpbig
papers in which the place Of marriage is
given as the West Jersey Hotel.
| Many OF the ministers OF Camden
churches will not marry people in such
reckless manner as have certain other
clergynen, and they strongly object TO be-
ing placed in the same category. They
Say the whole pul pit OF Camden ia getting
an unpleasant reputation by the wholesale
marriages. Of few and that "a Camden
preacher" ia synonymous with marrying
machine.